What is the best medium PC parts under 500$ used.
Posted by Specialist_Cost_2960@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 21 comments
I'm a 16-year-old guy trying to build a desktop PC as my dream, but now I'm starting on a low budget, so can u help me with the best PC parts I can get that have high upgradeability in the long term?
drop what u think are the best parts for this build :
aragorn18@reddit
Please include your country of purchase in your post.
MysteriousOrchid464@reddit
Am i going crazy or did his post originally say $500? I typed out this huge response assuming he had a 500 usd budget 🤣 🙄
MysteriousOrchid464@reddit
You're going to need to bump your budget up. Long term upgradability means you're going to need am5.
Microcenter sells bundles on amazon, should be able to find a 7500x3d/b850m/16gb ddr5 bundle for about 300. You wont beat that discount on the used market unless you have a higher initial investment (have been buying proper 32gb 6000mt/s cl30 kits for 2-300 alone, on facebook marketplace)
Also, used cpus are great, I've been buying 9800x3ds for 200 bucks used, buuuut doing that means you lose your bundle discounts on everything else
My suggestion to you, young sir.. get a good microcenter bundle on amazon, or in store if you're near a micro center, buy a good psu NEW NOT USED with at least a B tier rating on the spl psu tier list(should be able to find a good 750-850w for around $80), cheap case 50-80 bucks, and roll with that pc on integrated graphics while you work a summer job and save for a good gpu to throw in it.
I found a 16gb 9060xt sfx for 369.99 at best buy yesterday while i was helping my buddy build his kid a pc for under $850.
simagus@reddit
Either an ARC B580, an RX 6600 second hand, and if its too pricey maybe an RX 580 8GB if you really want to keep costs as low as possible.
Go AM4 and pick up a mobo second hand, ideally a 550 model but 450 if you have to.
Before you choose your CPU you want to spec the rest of your system and work with what's left over, and even if you don't want to if that is your budget you have to.
Case and fans, check your local classifieds/Craigslist/eBay and even dumps or recycling places as people dump old stuff like their old PC case with no side panel in places like that fairly regularly.
Just go wherever people go locally to dump off their old electronics and household stuff and ask the guys there if they have a section of salvaged goods, and you might (might not too) get lucky (I have in the past).
If you can't get a basically free or cheap case just go with anything that will fit an ATX motherboard from Ali or Temu if you can't find anything second hand, but remember to check Amazon first as often the price difference is negligible and CS easier to deal with if you have to.
Your PSU can be purchased second hand too, and mine was as it was the only way I could afford a branded unit at the time and the cheap Chinese alternatives in the same price range were getting bad reviews in numbers.
The PSU cannot be skimped on, as it's the thing that feeds the correct Watts and voltages to everything else in the system, and risking frying your mobo with a cheaped out on PSU build is just not worth it.
It will probably take up more of the $500 than you would like, but it's the part of the build that if you buy some piece of garbage, which can happen, you're really taking the highest risk to your whole system with.
You're kind of relying on people who have upgraded or are upgrading to AM5 to be selling their old AM4 stuff, in terms of the second hand market and that's a matter of luck and patience to find a good deal, but that's what i've always done and it does save a good amount of money if you shop wisely and carefully.
RAM... ouch.
Even second hand RAM prices have gone crazy, so you either need to hope you find someone who is selling and doesn't know that (good luck!) or bite the bullet and pay the current market rates.
16GB is plenty for almost every use case and you're better to buy that in one stick if at all possible in case your mobo only has two slots and you want to upgrade later.
If you have to, then go with one 8GB stick and get a second later, or get two 8GB sticks if it's significantly cheaper, which it probably will be as nobody really wants low capacity RAM sticks unless they are out of other options.
So after you have collected all that stuff, how much do you have left for your CPU?
idk.
How much do you have left for your CPU?
Buy the best X (not X3D) CPU with whatever money you have left over from assembling the rest of your build.
Best of luck in finding some good deals and enjoy building and using your new PC.
Specialist_Cost_2960@reddit (OP)
thk u for the comment is really helpfull
Hmmm71-8@reddit
Do you just need the pc or also a monitor keyboard and mouse included?
What are some of the games you want to play
Specialist_Cost_2960@reddit (OP)
i just need the monitor, i have some old keyboard/mouse, and they are still working perfectly,
The games I will play are ARK, RDR2, Fortnite, and some other single-player games mostly.
Hmmm71-8@reddit
for monitor just look for some free or really cheap listing on the used market. check to make sure it has either hdmi or display port.
cpu: the ryzen 5 3600 is a great cpu that can handle most games still nicely. Also a great upograde path being on the am4 socket.
motherboard: any b450 or b550 motherboard will do nicely. do make sure it has all the feautres you might need. like if you need buillt in wifi for example
ram. get a 2x8gb of ddr4 ram
storage: a 51gb ssd is the minimum i would consider for modern games especially some of the ones you listed
gpu: an rx 5600xt is a solid gpu that can still handle many modern titles
case: really any atx or micro atx case would do
power supply: get a 650 watt 80+ bronze minimum psu. something like an msi mag a650bn. check the spl psu tier list and just make sure it is tier C or higher for quality
cpu cooler: if the ryzen 5 3600 did not come witha stock cooler get a cheap $10-15 am4 cooler
jhenryscott@reddit
I’m gonna disagree with others but instead suggest buying a Dell office pc for my cheaper on eBay and slapping a 3060 in it
Specialist_Cost_2960@reddit (OP)
Yeah that will be great if we have ebay in my country. But i see your point and when i searched i found some but i will need a new psu , so the total cost will be the same regardless that the pc will not have the capability for upgrading in long term so after a year i will need a newer motherboard
CambodianGold@reddit
Look for ddr4 pc bundles that have motherboard, ram, CPU, SSD/nvme and cooler. You won't get the big named brands but they will be ok. In the UK you can get them around £250-325. So should be similar price for dollers as well. Usually I see the deals in the US are better prices. Check eBay.
Or bundles at micro centre.
The rest of the budget is second hand GPU, new budget friendly psu (MSI/Thermalright/Corsair) Gold and a budget case with fans inc. idk about the US but the budget RGB ones are a good price with fans inc. e.g. Montech, Lian.
Or you can buy a second hand ddr4 build on eBay or something.
Specialist_Cost_2960@reddit (OP)
Thk u bro for ur comment. But I’m not in the US , i use US currency because it’s universal.
Fresh_Inside_6982@reddit
With the prices of RAM, Video Cards, and Storage that's not a realistic budget for new parts.
Specialist_Cost_2960@reddit (OP)
Bro , in title i say used parts
Fresh_Inside_6982@reddit
Oh, I read it as "USD" meaning US Dollars.
Aggressive_Deer_7072@reddit
Honestly for $500 used i’d probably build around AM4 because the upgrade path is still really good without destroying your wallet
something like a Ryzen 5 3600 + B550 board + used RTX 3060/6600XT would already be pretty solid. biggest mistake at this budget is overspending on fancy RGB/case stuff instead of GPU honestly lol
Specialist_Cost_2960@reddit (OP)
thk u, bro for ur comment. yeah i probably will not spend it all on some fancy things , but i think the RTX 3060 / 6600XT is slightly overpriced in my country and to make a full desktop PC i can't get those GPUs , i think about something RX580/GTX 1660 super or if i found the RX 5600XT in a good price i will take it
Grifdy@reddit
https://bestvaluegpu.com/
an RX580 or 1660 super is really not ideal. RX580 is WAYYY behind modern GPUs in terms of performance and the 1660 super and 5600xt only have 6gb of VRAM. I'd say if a 3060 or 6600xt is out of budget, something like a gtx 1080 or maybe 2070 super. But those will be more power hungry and require a slightly better psu
Specialist_Cost_2960@reddit (OP)
Yeah, I know and thk u for ur comment, but the 2070 is around $200 and I'm like putting half of my money on it , and for the gtx they are really rare in my country but if I find one with a good price, probably I will get it.
Grifdy@reddit
What country?
Holiday_Bug9988@reddit
Yeah I second this.